French citizen smuggled explosives, arrested by Ukraine authorities

A 25-year-old man from France was arrested at the end of May at the Poland-Ukraine border after he attempted to smuggle a large amount of explosives, hand grenades and automatic weapons into Poland.

The French TV channel M6 reported Friday that the man, identified as 25-year-old Gregoire M. from the Lorraine area in France had been arrested by the Ukraine border guards on May 21.

In his car they discovered a large amount of weapons and explosives, including three hand grenades, six AK-47, helmets and more than 100 kilograms explosives worth approximately 250,000 euros according to the TV channel. Government officials are investigating the source behind the funding.

The Poland-Ukraine border is the most often crossed eastern border of the EU. It is heavily policed, as it is a major smuggling route into EU, both for goods and for illegal immigration.

According to several sources, the suspect from Lorraine, previously unknown to intelligence services and justice, likely planned to bring the weapons into France to carry out attacks on French soil. Synagogues and mosques in the country could have been his targets.

The man is believed to have been a right-wing extremist, as a t-shirt with the logo of a far-right organization was discovered during a search of his home.